


Nerdy Little Valentine

by DinoKieran



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Awkwardness, Cute, Dorks in Love, F/F, Fluffy Ending, Useless Lesbians, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:15:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22957783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinoKieran/pseuds/DinoKieran
Summary: Peridot wants nothing more than to be left alone and sulk. Cue her best friend rocking up and spoiling that plan for her. Why did Lapis never listen? Stars, she was impossible...But she could stay.
Relationships: Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 85





	Nerdy Little Valentine

**Author's Note:**

> It's time for a little Valentine's Day one shot!  
> ...Yes yes I know it's late, but at least it's in February right? (Thank the stars for the leap year.)  
> Enjoy the useless lesbians my friends!

It was a loud, insistent knocking at her front door that roused Peridot from unconsciousness. She initially planned to remain where she was, ignoring the noise, but when it repeated for the umpteenth time she growled a little and reluctantly began unravelling herself from her cocoon of blankets. Wrapping her oversized green hoodie around her she shuffled to the door, grumbling under her breath the whole way. She hadn’t been expecting any guests, in fact, she was sure she’d made a point of telling everyone to leave her be today, but apparently _someone_ didn’t get the memo. Opening the door a few inches she peered outside, a scowl already on her face.

“What do y-” She stopped and blinked in surprise as she opened the door fully. 

“Hey, dork." replied the girl on the other side of the door with a lop-sided grin, her partially dyed blue hair pulled off of her face and under a black beanie. A rucksack was slung over one shoulder and a large plastic bag was held loosely in her left hand.

“...Lazuli?” Peridot finally said, taken aback by the appearance of her best friend, “What are you doing here?”

The taller one shrugged, shifting from one worn-out sneaker covered foot to the other.

“Ah, well, you know. I saw that post on BookBook about you not feeling too good so I figured I’d come over and check on you,” She gave her friend a once over, “Damn, you look like shit.”

Peridot glowered.

“Wow, thanks. You’re really not the type for subtly are you, Lazuli.”

“You know me so well,” Lapis chuckled, "Now, are you gonna make your best friend in the whole world stay out here in the cold or are you gonna let me in?”

“Uh-”

“Thanks!” Lapis grinned and shouldered past a flustered Peridot, ignoring any potential protests her friend fired her way. Tossing her rucksack to one side she turned and grinned, gesturing to the bag in her other hand, “I got some takeaway on the way here, you still like chicken chow mein right?”

Peridot sighed again, rubbing her temples as she reluctantly closed the door.

“...Yes...” She muttered, “Thank you, Lapis, but, uh- ”

“Awesome, I’ll go grab us some plates, food should still be warm!” Before Peridot could continue, Lapis had promptly turned on her heel and strode off into the kitchen, leaving the blonde alone in the hallway, perplexed and frustrated.

She thought she'd been clear she wanted to be left alone today, but then again, when had Lapis ever really taken notice of that sort of thing? She’d always been the type to act first and ask questions later, so in hindsight, Peridot shouldn’t have been that surprised. That didn’t stop her from being irritated though. Of all of her friends, Lapis should know that if she was in such a sour mood there had to be a reason and that she required solitude to deal with it. 

Sighing, she dragged herself into the kitchen where Lapis was currently rummaging about and noticed she’d managed to find a pair of trays, upon which were both their food, neatly laid out. The tall bluenette glanced over her shoulder and grinned again, picking up one of the trays and proffering it to her.

“Here you go! Oh, hang on-” She reached into the bag and pulled out a can of mountain dew, plopping it down on the tray beside the food, “-there. I know it’s your favourite so I made sure I got one for you!”

Yes, Peridot was still irritated by the intrusion, but the longer Lapis was there, the less annoyed she felt. Of course, having her home intruded upon wasn’t ideal, but it was clear her friend had gone out of her way to try and cheer her up somewhat. That she could appreciate. She gave Lapis a small smile and took the tray.

“Oh, uh… thank you,” she murmured softly, glancing between the food and the taller girl, “You know, you really didn’t have to do this.”

Lapis grabbed her tray and gave a shrug. 

“Eh, true! But you’re my friend, gotta do what I can to get you out of this funk, haven’t I? I’d be a pretty shitty person if I didn’t at least try. Now come on, let’s get this food in us before it gets cold!” She led the way down the hall to Peridot’s living room and stopped in her tracks. “Damn, the hell happened here?” 

She looked over at Peridot and gestured, amused, to the piles of blankets, cushions, empty soda bottles, candy wrappers and chip packets. Peridot pouted a little, embarrassed, and looked away while Lapis put her tray down and began clearing space on the couch for the both of them.

“You know, I thought you were messy before,” she said as she grabbed a few of the bottles and tossed them in the nearby bin, "but I’m sure you’ve never been _this_ bad; what did you do, take organization lessons from Amethyst??” Her tone was teasing, but Peridot could see the concern on the other girl’s face.

She sighed again, then took her seat when Lapis had finally cleared enough away.

“...I’ve just been enjoying my own company, is all,” she mumbled as she picked at her food. Lapis looked over at her and sighed, chewing on her lower lip; a nervous habit she’d picked up when she was a kid. It looked like she was about to say something, but she decided against it, instead, she gave the blonde an affectionate pat on the shoulder.

“Alright, fair enough. You and your hermit ways, seriously...” she snorted, “you need to get out more, you’re starting to look like a vampire. A short, nerdy one.”

“Ugh...” Peridot narrowed her eyes at her while she chewed slowly. 

It was normal for Lapis to tease her, but there was something about her manner that was different today; it was like she was trying too hard. It did sorta make sense since the older of the two wasn’t always the best at showing affection, but it didn’t sit right with her. Today, however, she didn’t have the energy to bring it up and instead returned to her food. It was good, she had to give Lapis that, she always seemed to know just what she fancied when it came to food.

“You wanna watch something?” Lapis asked as she grabbed the remote and started flicking through the channels. Peridot sighed, having hoped to leave the T.V on standby.

“And risk being bombarded by all those trashy rom-coms? No thanks." she wrinkled her nose, "You know that’s all that’s on right now.”

“Heh, fair.” Lapis replied as she carried on channel hopping, “I’ll admit, most of them are _bad_ , but that’s what makes them funny! The whole ‘so bad, it's good’ type thing” 

“Blegh. Too mushy.”

“You really don’t like Valentine’s day, huh?”

“...Your deduction skills are impeccable, Lazuli”

“Hey! No need to be like that, ya dick,” Lapis gave Peridot a small shove, chuckling a little. The shorter of the two pouted and rubbed her side. 

“I just call it like I see it. Anyway,” She took a swig of her drink, "I’ve always disliked it, thought you knew that; I’m sure I’ve complained about it to you more than once.”

“I mean… you probably have, but to be honest, when you go into one of those nerdy little rants of yours I tend to just zone out. Too much to take in.”

“Oh, so now who's being a dick?”

Lapis stuck her tongue out at her,

“If you can’t take it, don’t dish it out, Dots! Thought you appreciated honesty in this relationship.”

“...I’d be inclined to agree, but honesty isn’t always the best policy, Laz.” Food finished, she placed the tray precariously on a mound of cushions and leaned back, sighing and closing her eyes. Lapis gave her a puzzled look, quirking a brow before shaking her head and continuing to eat.

“Fair enough. It shouldn’t have surprised me that you don’t like v-day; you’re like a little nerdy robot, no time for love, only logic eh?” She chuckled.

“It’s not like that!” Peridot whined, sitting up and giving her friend another pout “it’s just… the theatrics of it all. Everything is so commercialized, overdone. I actually like the idea of romance, but as spontaneous acts of affection to show how much you care, not something monetized, obligatory and false. Have you _seen_ how much hotel and restaurant prices go up just for one day? It’s ridiculous! Full-on extortion and I won’t stand for it.”

Lapis leaned back in her chair, head tilted in amusement as she watched her short companion gesticulate irritatedly.

“It’s just so… ugh! I just don’t like it.” Peridot grumbled as she shook her head “all this talk of showing your loved one how much they mean to you… it’s like a competition; expectations are so high and I bet you there’ll be a lot of breakups today. Breakups, awkward wedding proposals and accidental pregnancies. So much drama over one stupid day.”

“Heh. I should have invited you out instead of this," Lapis commented as her mouth turned up at the corners into a smirk, “There’s this event I go to every year at one of the clubs in town. It’s super fun.”

“...Isn’t that the valentine’s day party you’ve talked about before?” Peridot asked, giving Lapis a perplexed expression, "No offence but that sounds like the exact opposite of what I’d be interested in.” Lapis shook her head and wagged a finger at her.

“Nah, it’s an _anti-_ valentine’s day event. Basically, a night where you get to perform and take the piss out of all the cheesy romance crap.”

“Perform…?”

“Oh for sure! It’s a drag show; that includes bio kings and queens too. Let me tell you, I’ve had a LOT of fun there as the Water Witch.” She grinned. “Queen of the Tides ready to quench your thirst!” Giving a playful dramatic pose she giggled as she watched Peridot’s confusion become ever more evident on her face. The smaller one blinked then scratched her head.

“Well. I did always say you were one for the dramatics, Lazuli.” She chuckled a little “Honestly that doesn’t sound so bad actually, if I’d felt in the mood to go outside I might just have accepted your offer. But...” She sighed, then Lapis' words played back in her mind, “Wait, so you decided not to go this year and come see me instead?”

Lapis shrugged, ruffling Peridot’s hair to knock the concerned look off her face, “Well yeah. I was planning on going but then I saw your message. Told the girls I had to call out this year as I had a friend to check up on. They understood, and well here I am.”

“You didn’t need to do that Lapis...” Peridot shifted in her seat, “Of course I’m thankful but I wouldn’t want you giving up something like that just to sit here with me." _Especially since I didn’t ask you to at all._

Lapis’ expression changed for a split second, then she grinned and gave yet another shrug.

“I know, I know. You worry too much about others for your own good sometimes, dork.” She snorted, "But for real, that stuff is fun sure, I get to let loose and do whatever… But you’re my best friend, and I didn’t feel comfortable doing all that knowing all the while that you were feeling like shit. You… mean a lot to me.” She slowly slipped an arm around Peridot’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze, glancing away and scratching the back of her neck with her other hand.

Peridot felt a little taken aback by that. Of course the two of them were close, they’d been friends since middle school, but as they’d gotten older and more comfortable with each other their friendship had slowly become based solely on teasing and poking fun at each other. Lapis had never been one for shows of affection throughout but especially not as she’d hit adulthood. Peridot couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on the receiving end of a Lapis hug. 

She must be really worried about her then, if she was being like this. Peridot bit her lip. Maybe she did know what she was dealing with after all, or at the very least knew something was very wrong.

Before she could respond, however, Lapis had swiftly removed her arm and sat up, grabbing the remote again and turning up the volume.

“Ah, here we go! This channel’s always got obscure stuff on it. At least that means we’ll have some weird romance movie instead of the regular stuff.”

Deciding not to press regarding the previous occurrence, Peridot narrowed her eyes as she caught the tail-end of the current scene and huffed.

“Meh, probably not. I guarantee you this will be one of those overdone plots like… A strict and bossy businesswoman who has no time for love gets sent to shut down a failing business; she meets some handsome free-loving local man who she reluctantly works with, then, in the end, realizes that there are ‘more important things that work’ and falls in love and moves in with said handsome local man. All garbage. So cliche.”

“Ah, film critic Peri strikes again!”

“You know it’s true though! Think about it, how many holiday-based mushy romance movies have you seen that _don’t_ follow that framework to some extent? I can bet you can’t think of any.”

“I mean… fair play.” Lapis chuckled, “What if it was a free-loving local _woman_ though, wouldn’t that get your attention?”

“Pfft, hardly! If you want to talk cliches, then hetero movies have got _nothing_ on lesbian ones. Every single one I’ve seen goes like this: super femmy ‘straight’ woman is in a long term relationship with her male partner, maybe even engaged. She’s struggling because she’s not sure why she doesn’t feel as strongly about her partner as he does her, and then SUDDENLY she meets the most lesbian-looking lesbian you’ll ever meet or someone who looks almost the same as her, who’s confident in their sexuality and ends up helping said ‘straight’ woman discover her true self. It then goes one of two ways. She either suddenly realizes that she’s gay and leaves her partner for said lesbian, OR denies her sexuality and gets married to the man anyway for fear of rejection. Don’t get me wrong, they’re both good storylines on their own, but it’s like film writers aren’t even _trying_ to get some variety in there.”

“Heh, alright, but what about TV? There’s some pretty gay stuff in there these days.”

“Ehhh not nearly enough. Most of the time if there’s any kind of lesbian relationship in a live-action TV show, one of the women ends up dying dramatically. I feel like the only progressive group is cartoons, funnily enough. But there’s not many of those either. Would it kill for a show or movie to have a realistic, well-developed queer storyline for once?? Geez...” Peridot harumphed and slumped back on the couch, rant now officially over. Lapis had done her best to bite back giggles at her friend’s display; the blonde was always one to go off on long-winded speeches so she was used to having to sit back and watch the show, but it didn’t stop her from finding it amusing.

“A realistic queer storyline huh? You say that like you know what that’s like” she teased, poking Peridot’s cheek, “if it was based on your life it’d be you spending the whole movie plucking up the courage to tell a girl how you feel only to chicken out at the last moment.” Peridot’s head whipped around to fix Lapis with a glower.

“Oh, shut up,” she replied, crossing her arms as a slow smirk spread across her face, "As if you’d make it any better. Last time I checked you don’t have the best track record when it comes to relationships, if Jasper is anything to go by.”

Lapis groaned and put her head in her hands, “Ugh, you dick! Why’d you have to bring _that_ up?”

“If you can’t take it, don’t dish it out!” Peridot replied smugly, repeating Lapis’ words back to her. “Honestly, I’m still baffled by that one, why the two of you got together is beyond me.”

“...It was peer pressure” Lapis grumbled, “everyone was like ‘omg you two are so popular you should date!!’ so we figured we should at least try to shut them up and oh my _god_ it was _so awkward!_ ” She huffed and gave Peridot a look, “You saw it too! Jasper tried so hard to be all romantic and stuff cause she felt like she had to, and I kept thinking there was something wrong with me cause I didn’t want to hold her hand… Stars, Valentine’s Day was the worst. Guess we added to the ‘awkward valentine’s break-up’ tally that year.”

“You two are 100% better off as friends, I called that from the start.” Came Peridot’s reply as she got up from the couch and stretched, "Sure you scrap on the occasion, but it’s a far cry from all the bickering you did as a couple. Stars, I wanted to bash both your heads together at times!” She chuckled.

“Yeah yeah, rub salt in the wound why don’t you,” Lapis said, her half-hearted scowl shifting into a grin as she rolled her eyes and chuckled. “...but I agree, we’re a lot better now. Speaking of, I wonder what that meat-head has been up to lately, haven’t seen her in what, a month?”

Peridot shrugged and began clearing up their empty trays. 

“Ehh, who knows? Considering what she’s like she’s probably messing around with some fling, that or avoiding text messages from said fling asking why they aren’t going out on valentine’s day.” She snorted a little, and Lapis just rolled her eyes before getting up, too.

“Probably! I’ve lost count of the times she’s messaged the group chat bragging about getting some girl’s number. That damn cheeto has more game than both of us combined... ” She tapped her lip, “Though to be fair, that isn’t a hard thing to do.”

“Rude!”

“Hey! I called myself there, too, you know!”

“Yeah yeah.” Peridot chuckled and headed into the kitchen, Lapis following behind with a small armful of the empty cans and wrappers that she’d grabbed on her way out; she then tossed them in the larger trash can in Peridot’s kitchen. As Peridot washed up the cutlery she heard Lapis mutter under her breath. She glanced over her shoulder, "You okay back there?”

Lapis blinked, then rubbed the back of her neck.

“Ah, yeah I’m alright, I just realized how late it’s getting. It’s pretty dark out.” Peridot glanced out the window to see that it was indeed late.

The streetlights were on but due to their bad state the dim bulbs barely touched the inky blackness outside her window. She chewed her lip. Lapis didn’t live too far away so she’d usually walk to Peridot’s house, but her own apartment wasn’t in the… best neighbourhood. If she headed home now, she’d have to walk through an unsafe part of town by herself. Despite knowing the chances of anything happening were small, and that the blue-haired girl could defend herself if needed, Peridot wasn’t comfortable with that idea. She could tell Lapis wasn’t either.

“You know...” she said softly as she finished washing up, "You can just crash here for the night if you’d like. I’ve got some blankets and the like, I got a new couch so it’s comfier than the old ratty one I had before.”

“Ah, are you sure...?”

“Yup, just gimme a minute to tidy things up a little, and I’ll get it set up for you.” She gave Lapis a small smile, finding the wide-eyed expression the other girl was giving her almost amusing. It was as if she’d never let her stay over before. 

Cute.

She blinked and shook that thought out of her mind as quickly as it arrived. Stars, her brain did some weird things at times. Sighing, she grabbed a garbage bag from under the sink headed back to the lounge, beginning to scoop up the remaining trash that littered the floor and furniture. It was funny, she thought, how only an hour or so ago she’d wanted nothing more than to be left alone, and now here she was not only welcoming a visitor but encouraging them to stay longer too. Lapis seemed to have that effect on her, she noted; she really knew what to do and say in order to perk Peridot right up, even when she felt like an anti-social gremlin. If it weren’t for Lapis being here right now, she’d have probably left all this crap all over the floor for a couple more days, and yet now she was making sure no scraps were left behind. Lapis, improving her housekeeping, who knew?

“Here, let me take that," a slim hand grasped the trash bag and gently pulled it from her grasp. 

She blinked.

“Lapis, but-” The taller one wagged a finger.

“No, no, I’ll get this all cleaned up, you go grab the blankets or whatever.” She grinned, “...And maybe take a shower or something. You stink.”

Peridot threw her an incredulous look,

“...Excuse me?”

“You heard me, go get clean!”

Peridot pouted and gave Lapis a look before turning around and heading into her room.

“Fiiiine. Want me to grab you a change of clothes?”

“Uh… no offence Peri, but I doubt I’d fit into any of your clothes,” there was a snicker, to which Peridot just rolled her eyes

“No you clod, I mean some of _your_ clothes! You know, the ones you leave here when you stay over and forget to pick up, so I wash them and put them in your drawer?”

“I… I have a drawer?” The surprised tone in Lapis’ voice made Peridot turn around, giving Lapis a confused look.

“Yes? I thought you knew. You leave enough of your stuff here so I thought, why not, you know? Makes it easier.”

“Oh um, thanks,” Lapis seemed flustered by this new knowledge, her cheeks having tinted a slight shade of pink. Peridot eyed her for a moment, perplexed, before turning back around.

“You’re welcome, I’ll be right back.”

As soon as Peridot closed the door behind her, she leaned against it and sighed. What was with her? Lapis wasn’t usually this easy to fluster, but apparently something had set her off. That woman was so confusing at times… But if she was honest, Peridot wouldn’t have her any other way. No one else managed to get her out of her shell as Lapis did; she was always there knowing exactly what to say to cheer her up or distract her from whatever was bothering her and today was no exception. Still… she’d found out she was upset and just cancelled her plans to come keep her company while making sure she’d picked up her favourite food and ignored her protests. She hadn’t even asked about what was bothering her or pushed her to vent in any way, she’d just acknowledged her friend was upset and came to see her to cheer her up. 

She had to admit… that thought made Peridot’s stomach flip. To most people, Lapis was moody and antisocial, but with her… she’d go out of her way to make her feel happy, even if that meant forsaking her own plans.

She’d always put Peridot first. How had she not noticed that?

She’d not even noticed herself blushing until she felt the warmth spreading up to her ears. This… wasn’t normal either. Thinking of Lapis like that and then getting all flustered? No, not like her at all. She huffed and shook her head to clear it. Where was she? As, yes, shower. She hadn’t thought she was that bad though… did she really stink or was Lapis just exaggerating as usual?

She raised an arm and sniffed herself tentatively, then wrinkled her nose in disgust. Okay yes, she most definitely stunk. Stars. How had she not noticed that before?? Damn Lapis and her sensitive nose.

Grumbling to herself she hurried into the ensuite and undressed, making sure she had a towel to hand and that the water was at an acceptable temperature before she got in. Under the stream, she closed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d needed this until the warm water hit her skin; it was like she could feel the dirt being rinsed off of her. Of course, she hadn’t showered for almost two days straight so that wasn’t a surprise.

When she was finally finished, dry and dressed in her favourite pair of alien print shorts and matching green tank top, she began rummaging about. It wasn’t hard to find Lapis’ clothing, she knew she kept all her stuff in the third drawer down, on the left. Her worn-out blue t-shirt and a pair of black joggers should do, right?

Placing them to one side she pulled a couple of blankets from the nearby wardrobe; in the process, she glanced over at her bed and sighed a little. It was big enough for two, certainly, so theoretically speaking she could have said Lapis could share… they were close enough and she did trust her, so she admittedly felt a little guilty about leaving her on the couch instead. However, they’d tried before and for some reason, it had felt… weird. Not in a bad way, she’d appreciated the company for once, but there was something about having Lapis so close to her that sent her mind on the fritz. It also turned out that the taller girl was a sleep hugger, so waking up to find herself in her friend’s firm grip and her head tucked up under her chin didn’t really help things. She remembered getting little to no sleep that night, spending most of it trying to rationalize her feelings. She’d eventually given up and decided to play on her DS instead, so that was fun.

….Plus that woman snored like a chainsaw. That certainly hadn’t helped matters.

Finally, she gathered a bundle of blankets as well as two of her own pillows, chucked the pyjamas on top and emerged from her room. By that point, it seemed that Lapis had cleaned the entire room and then some; there were areas of the floor visible that Peridot hadn’t seen in months. The woman in question was now slouched on the couch, tapping away on her phone; her eyes flicked up at the sound of Peridot’s’ arrival and she got up, grinning.

“Cheers Peri!” She said, taking the clothing from the top and tucking it under one arm. She paused for a moment then looked the blonde up and down, a small grin spreading across her face. “Oh, hey, you’re wearing the pyjamas I got you for Christmas.” 

Peridot flushed and swallowed, giving a small nod.

“Well yes, they’re very comfortable,” she passed her and depositing the remaining items on the couch, "You uh… have good taste” she coughed. Lapis’ grin widened.

“Glad you like ‘em, and of course, I know my way around a clothing store you know, I am stylish after all” she flipped her hair teasingly and Peridot snorted, rolling her eyes.

“Yes yes, well then Ms. Style Icon, if you wanna go use the bathroom to change it’s all yours. I’ll start setting this all up.”

Lapis gave a thumbs up and a wink before sauntering out of the room, leaving Peridot to arrange the bed linen while also trying to quell the blush on her cheeks. The taller woman emerged shortly after, stretching and running a hand through her hair. Peridot pouted a little. Sure she’d poked fun at Lapis’ ‘stylish’ ways, but the girl really did make anything she wore look good. Hell, the overwashed shirt and baggy joggers still seemed to fit her like a glove, whereas Peridot looked like a potato any time she made an effort to dress up. This was 100% not fair.

“...You okay Peri? You’ve kinda zoned out there.”

Peridot blinked. Oh no, she’d been staring. She’d been staring at Lapis and for far too long apparently. She swallowed and shook her head as if to clear it.

“Ah, yeah, sorry, I’m just tired is all, heh.” She scratched her head and gave an awkward smile. Lapis quirked a brow and didn’t press anything, instead patting her shoulder as she walked past her and flopping backwards onto the middle of the makeshift bed.

“No worries, don’t blame you honestly, it _is_ pretty late after all...” she patted the space next to her, "Wanna sit down and chill a bit more? Or do you wanna head to bed?”

“Ah...” Peridot sighed, this time feeling it turn into a yawn. “I think sleep might be best… Sorry”

Lapis just shrugged and smiled, "Don’t apologize. I'll just stay up and watch something for a bit. You get all the sleep you need, alright?” 

Peridot nodded, murmuring a quick thanks and stepping back into her room.

 _This is going to be a long night_.

And it was.

Four hours.

It had been four hours and Peridot had still not been able to fall asleep. She’d tossed and turned, closing her eyes only to open them again twenty minutes later with a groan of frustration. She’d been okay earlier, with Lapis to distract her, and she thought she’d be okay now, but without the comfort of her friend, her mind just wouldn’t. _Shut. Up_. With Lapis there she’d been able to keep her mind free of the stresses of the morning, but only to be replaced by this tight feeling in her chest that wouldn’t go away. What was going on? Why was her brain screwing with her? This was stupid! She was okay, she was fine, she didn’t need to- fuck it. This wasn’t going to sort itself out. She slowly sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. Time to kill two birds with one stone...hopefully, if Lapis was still awake.

As she slowly opened the door, she was relieved to see that the blue-haired girl was sitting up on the couch, wrapped in blankets and watching something on T.V. Her blue eyes connected with Peridot’s green ones and she sat up fully, tilting her head.

“Hey, Peri- you okay?” Her brows furrowed with concern. Peridot’s shoulders slumped and she took a hesitant step into the lounge.

“I… can we talk?” She asked quietly, to which Lapis quickly nodded and got up. 

“Of course Peri, I’m here, what’s wrong?” She’d crossed the short distance and taken Peridot’s hands in her own quicker that Peridot thought was possible, but that didn’t matter. She was here, and that’s what mattered. 

“I… this morning,” she looked up into Lapis’ concerned eyes, “I got a letter from her.” She felt Lapis’ hands tense around her own but she continued, “Well, not from her directly, from her lawyer, saying I’m officially written out of her will.” There was silence for a moment, Peridot looking down at the ground now. 

“Oh… oh, Peri...” Lapis squeezed her hands gently and slowly guided her to the couch, sitting her down and wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders. Peridot didn’t think about what she was doing; needing the physical contact she leaned into Lapis’ touch, tucking her head in the crook of her neck. She remained that way for a moment, eyes closed, as she tried to keep calm.

“...It’s not like I didn’t see it coming,” she murmured, “I’ve known for months, hell, well over a year at least, but it doesn’t lessen the sting, you know?” She felt Lapis squeeze her shoulder, "I should be happy I’m rid of her, that I never have to see her or that corrupt business of hers ever again, but still… ugh.” She sniffled.

“It’s... understandable you’d feel like this, Peri." Lapis replied softly, gently rubbing her upper arm, “She’s your mom after all, even though she’s a, well, a bitch.” Shifting a little she wrapped her other arm around her, which gave Peridot a warmth that was both physical and mental. She needed this, and Lapis knew it. She needed to be held, to be comforted. 

Her mother never did anything of the sort. She bit her lip and continued.

“I know...It’s just that- it’s not even because I’m gay, I thought she’d lose her shit over that, but she didn’t care and I thought I was alright… then I just-” she sniffed, “I told her I didn’t want to work for her, that I didn’t want to be part of the family business if it meant exploiting people, only caring about making money...” She trailed off. Lapis knew all this, she didn’t need to hear it again most likely. She didn’t even want to tell it all again, but it felt good to just say _something._

Lapis nodded and kept gently stroking Peridot’s shoulder, a gesture that Peridot was thankful for now more so than ever. She didn’t even need to say anything, just sit there and listen; she knew that too. Stars… Well, it was now or never.

“I don’t know where I’d be without you, Lapis,” she said softly, biting back a small sniffle, “I wanted to deal with this on my own, I thought I could, but all I did was hide away from my problems. You just... barged in and made it your mission to cheer me up no matter what. Thank you...”

“You know I’d do anything for you Peri,” Came the bluenette’s reply, as a hand shifted up slightly and began gently stroking Peridot’s hair, “Everything you’ve been going through for the past year has been horrible, and I hate to see you suffer.” Peridot settled into the new sensation of Lapis’ fingers threading through her mop of hair, sighing softly. If she’d been less stressed, such a display of physical affection from the normally aloof Lapis Lazuli would have surprised her, but right now all she could think about was calming her mind. Lapis’s touch was definitely helping with that, but now her heartbeat was accelerating.

“I know, Laz. But still, you deserved to be thanked in the very least. Not many people have the patience to deal with me” she chuckled and shifted a little “though, I can’t help but find this whole thing just… so badly timed, you know? I know I think this day is just trash, overdone and overused, but it’s a day you're supposed to spend with the ones you love. But what I got today from my mother’s lawyer was most definitely not an ‘I love you’. Heh,” she shook her head, “For me, I think love of any kind is going to remain more of an ideal, a daydream, more than reality.”

“ _I_ love you.”

Both girls froze, seemingly equally as surprised at the sudden admission. Peridot sat back and stared, wide-eyed, at the furiously-blushing woman who’d just so blatantly and firmly announced her feelings.

“Lapis-”

“I-I mean- you’re my friend, you know? I care about you a lot!” Lapis fumbled her words and avoided Peridot’s gaze, “You're important to me and I want you to be happy and- oh stars, I shouldn’t have said that, we were talking about you and your feelings, we should get back to that, just… forget this happened-”

“Lapis!”

The taller girl shut her mouth and finally looked up at Peridot, who had grasped her hands with her own. “Lapis.” She repeated again, calmer this time “breathe.” Lapis nodded, swallowing and taking a deep breath in. Peridot could feel her pulse racing through her wrists, her own thudding in her ears as she waited for Lapis to relax. Somewhat at least.

The two of them sat in silence, collectively doing their best to keep their minds from spinning, but for Peridot at least it was easier said than done. She gulped, squeezed Lapis’ hands, and looked her in the eye.

“...Did you mean it?” She asked softly

Lapis’ blush deepened and she looked away, glancing at Peridot out of the corner of her eye.

“I… I did,” she whispered, "But… of course I did, you know? You’re my friend, I care about you so much and want you to be happy. I’d do anything to see you smile...” She bit her lip and risked a longer look at Peridot, only to see her giving her a look that was part flustered, part disbelieving. She forgot she couldn’t lie for shit, and that Peridot knew her far too well. She sighed and shuffled a little in her seat. “Okay okay, I uh- Fuck. I don’t know how to say this- I care about you Peri, so much. I’ve known you for years and seen you grow and change and go through all kinds of shit, and I’ve wanted nothing more than to protect you from all of it.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair “crap. I wanted to at least have some time to figure out what to say, or not even say anything at all. Here I am blurting out my feelings and being a general screw up when I should be supporting you through all this stuff with you mom. I mean, what is this going to achieve? I make you awkward and embarrassed? Freak you out? I-” She felt one of Peridot’s hands gently touch her shoulder as the shorter girl shifted closer to her.

“You’re not a screw-up,” Peridot said firmly, the roles now having fully reversed “you’re a great friend and an amazing person. I’m lucky to have you.” Her ears were now reddening as she talked, "I hadn’t expected this, not in a million lightyears… I thought all this stupid stuff in my head was just that, stupid, that I was being my general weird self and that it was pass… but it makes sense now.” She let out a light puff of air, “I’ve been oblivious this whole time… and you were keeping it to yourself, weren’t you.”

Lapis stared at her, wide-eyed.

“Wait, hold on, you mean..?”

“I don’t know. I mean… well, I’m not sure. I don’t know what I’m feeling and this is just confusing, but at the same time is slowly becoming clearer to me.” the blonde looked up at her earnestly, “If this… If you’re really serious. Then, of course, I’m kinda scared because I don’t know how to act… but we could maybe figure it out. I dunno.”

There was a small snort, and Lapis finally wrapped an arm around her again.

“We’re… both dorks aren’t we.”

“Totally”

“Complete and utter nerds.”

The pair laughed and shook their heads, both still sporting bright red blushes. Eventually, when the laughter subsided, Lapis coughed and shuffled forward a little.

“So… when you said ’figure it out’...”

“Well.” Peridot chuckled, “This is just… a lot to take in. I’m already confused as to why we’re dealing with this so well, but… I’m not opposed to it," she blushed, “...As long as we don’t move too fast that is” 

“Huh...” 

Lapis bit her lip again, looking at Peridot from beneath her choppy bangs, “So… would it be moving too fast if I did this..?” 

She reached up and gently stroked Peridot’s cheek, her thumb grazing softly across her skin. Peridot blushed an even deeper red and swallowed. Lapis was closer to her now, and the sensation of her warm palm and fingers pressed against her face made her heart throb even harder. All that time denying how she felt, all that confusion… Should she wait? Should she keep pushing? Stars, she didn’t know! They obviously cared about each other, but this was just... She didn’t know how to feel. But Lapis was just so close… She swallowed.

She subconsciously twitched, causing Lapis to swiftly withdraw her hand, looking at her with concern. Peridot hadn’t wanted that, and she opened her mouth to say as much, only for her to let out a loud yawn instead. She groaned and leaned away, embarrassed, as Lapis shook her head, a smile ghosting across her lips.

“Aww Peri… ” she murmured, “You’re exhausted aren’t you.”

Peridot nodded, begrudgingly and sighed. She didn’t want to admit it but as much as she wanted to keep talking and try and get her mind in order…she was far too tired. Her brain was slowly setting different compartments on standby and it was making it harder for her to think straight.

_Heh. Straight._

Okay, she was definitely tired, her thoughts were getting odder the longer she went on.

Lapis, seemingly still more alert than her, stood up and stretched.

“Okay… I want to talk about this, I really do, but you need your sleep, Peri.” She gave a soft smile and proffered her hand to help her up.

“B-but...”

“I know I know, I’m still kinda scared too but I think you and I both know we need to sleep on this. I don’t want you getting hurt over something I admitted on impulse...” She trailed off and her face shifted; she was most definitely starting to worry too. Still, Peridot wasn’t comfortable with this.

“Lapis, you won’t hurt me-”

“You don’t know that.” The response was sharp, cutting through the nervous energy like a knife and causing Peridot to flinch back suddenly. Lapis swiftly realized her mistake and doubled back, shaking her head, “Crap, sorry, I’m sorry Peri, I just panicked-”

Peridot knew that Lapis could be temperamental with her moods, but this was definitely new. One second they were laughing and…. Flirting? And now Lapis was freaking out again. She wanted to speak, but Lapis kept going.

“-I’m just… I’m just worried,” she confessed, “I really wish I’d never said anything, this is just stupid, so stupid. You know me, Peri, I’m terrible with romance and all that stuff. I’m terrible. I barely able to hold down any sort of commitment without panicking and screwing up.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong…” Peridot replied tentatively, “But...You’ve been pretty committed to our friendship, right?” She slowly got up from her seat and took Lapis’ hand in hers. This.. confidence was new too, but she couldn’t stand to see Lapis so stressed, especially over her. “As I said before, you dropped everything to come to see me.”

“That’s different!” Lapis whined, “I was being a good friend...”

“You still are, Lapis, that’s not going to change” Peridot persisted, “-and I promise you, no matter what happens, I’m not going to leave you… or let you leave, for that matter.”

Lapis swallowed as her cheeks tinged pink again. She squeezed Peridot’s hand and gave a small smile.

“...Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Heh...” Lapis ran a hand through her hair, "This… wasn’t what I expected to happen when I showed up. At all.” Her shoulders slumped forward and she shook her head a little. 

“And you think I did?” Peridot chuckled and raised an eyebrow, "Seriously Lapis, the last thing I was expecting today was to have you invade my home and make a spontaneous confession, but then again… you’re a theatrical one, aren’t you.” 

Lapis pouted and looked away, blushing still, “...Shut up”

“I’d rather not. We have a lot to talk about, haven’t we?” The blonde chuckled

“Yeah…”

As the pair of them stood in her lounge, gently holding each other’s hands and trying to quell the blushes on their cheeks, Peridot couldn’t help but chuckle. Just hours ago she was feeling abandoned, her own family turning their backs on her… and now, well, when one door closes another one opens she supposed. 

Yes she was worried, but they’d figure this out, Lapis meant the world to her and when she’d said she’d never leave her, no matter what, she'd meant it.

This had been one eventful Valentine’s day.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Also a big thanks to AyokaiW (go read their Lapidot stuff they have the best smut around) for being my beta for this fic! You're awesome ^w^


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